"Sheni Shel Shavuot” teaching on the Shabbat before Shavuot, delivered on May 30, 2020.

The portion covers Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17 and begins, "You shall tithe without fail all the yield of your grain that the field brings forth year by year."

This Torah portion has been picked by the Rabbis as the service for Shavuot. Israel was a people who were farmers, they were shepherds, so the message is given through their professions.  

Deuteronomy 14:22 talks about tithing (now) and in the future. What does it mean to tithe? What is the purpose of tithing? Pastor Richard teaches that giving that which is most important as a tithe is YOU! Giving your life to Hashem is a hard thing to do. The surrendering of our lives to the Alef Tav (Messiah) is our deeds, the fruit that we are producing.

Pastor Richard uses the parable in Matthew 13:26-30 (which tells of the wheat and the tares) as an example that we have been called to produce fruit. Good fruit equals good deeds which equals wheat. Bad fruit equals bad deeds which equals tares. The wheat and the tares look the same, but the deeds that are produced by the wheat are the deeds of the Torah. The field is the world and the harvest is when the Messiah returns. Pastor Richard teaches that zonin is a degenerate form of wheat. In Luke 10:2 why does it say that the laborers are few. Is it because of zonin?

Pastor Richard explains that we are to be echad (one) with His people. Clear your mind in order to absorb HIM. Examine your life to the Torah to remove our worldly teachings. Messiah purchased His people by being pierced. Therefore, Messiah and His people will be pierced.

There is so much in this teaching, Pastor Richard explains why everything needs to be in agreement with our Master: finance, land, even shopping. Every decision! Torah is with us everyday and and in all things. We can only do this with the Spirit of God. We are supposed to decrease so He can increase.

The Spirit of God only follows the Torah, and any spirit that does away with the Torah is not from God. 

Shalom!

The Haftorah teaching is from Habakkuk 2:20-3:19, and the New Covenant E-drash is out of John 4:25-42.

We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament.

Pastor Richard Cortes

The Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministries

www.thefoundationoftheword.org